Battlefield 3 footage, and Back to Karkand comparison, courtesy of EA PWNED

by Christopher Grant on May 29th 2011 8:30PM

We don't know about you, but every time we see the word "pwned" written or, heaven forbid, spoken aloud, a combo-wave of douche chills and nausea washes over us. So know that to bring you this news, we're breaking out the vomit-proof keyboard cover.

EA UK has an unfortunately titled web video series by the name of EA PWNED, in which the go-to pairing of attractive female and balding male cover the gaming industry in video format ... with British accents ... and an exclusive, uncritical focus on all things EA. But you, like us, are going to have to suppress that gag reflex if you want to see a whole lot of high-definition footage of Battlefield 3, straight out of DICE's Swedish headquarters.

There's discussion of the audio in the game, the engine, the art and, perhaps most notably, the creation of the Back to Karkand map which updates one of Battlefield 2's most popular maps with the impressive new Frostbite 2 tech. You can find the full video, and a handy side-by-step comparison of the two Karkand maps courtesy of Reddit, after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Tags: battlefield-3, DICE, EA, EA-DICE, ea-pwned, Electronic-Arts, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, xbox

Reader Comments (110)

@nctnv

Which one of you sneaky little elves stole the banhammer?

looks great can't wait for this game.can

@chrono Game , great. Car metaphor at start, not so much.

@chrono

Back to Karkand will be release after the launch of BF3...only if you have VIP

@teeftwo

Lovely! So they can make DLC several months before the game launches, then charge us for it on release day. Haha! THat way they can either force you to pre-order, or you can wait to see if the game sucks, and if it doesn't, have to shell out $10. Didn't Dragon Age 2 do this with a character and that Emporium...? Oh wait, they DID! And they're both EA games! HAHA!

... No. I will not be getting this game. I don't care how OMGWTF awesome this game is. Day 1 DLC is bullcrap. If I can't have the map for buying the game, then I just won't buy the game at all. I really do believe I'm done with shooters this year... sigh.

@ShivanSwordsman
You are aware that Battlefield's VIP comes free anytime you buy new.

@ShivanSwordsman And you think that companies actually make map packs AFTER they have released the game? Maybe one or two but they make nearly all the maps during game development then just select a few to ship with the game and hold the rest back.

@ShivanSwordsman

Hey kid, you have fun on your island of steadfast ill-conceived principle while those of us who actually understand that there is no day-one DLC will be playing this amazing game and enjoying ourselves.

@The Aquacharger

Awesome! That way they can screw over the trade-in value of their game, and milk every last dollar out of jaded fanbois. Yeah, here's the thing. It starts with "Buying New" perks. Then it goes to "pre-order or you don't get this DLC we started on 2 months ago". We had standards back in 2000.

The company that created Starsiege Tribes, Sierra Dynamix, released map packs and updated textures for free. The game was very open ended, scriptable, custom skins (which were supported and encouraged), and a huge modding/mapping community. You don't get that nowadays. Valve also does the same with TF2, even going so far as to pull from it's community for official updates, all for free as well.

So please, go on about how "awesome" this deal is. Anyone that rents is screwed right out the gate since EA wants to do everything they can to destroy trade-ins, just like companies did with PC and CD-keys and whatnot. Oh, and no, the company has no right to screw people to try and force them to buy new. That's like saying a new TV only works in the first jack that you put it in.

@ShivanSwordsman
Hey, you see that bit in the video where they say how Dice set up a separate team from the main Battlefield development to create the Karkand map?

Meaning that the only reason the map is being made is so it can be offered in this way. Meaning that it wasn't ever planned to be a part of the "normal" retail release.Y'know, meaning no value lost to users who don't get it, since no one would have got it if they weren't doing it like this anyway.

@ShivanSwordsman
Well maybe if you werent such a cheap bastard you wouldnt be so angry.

Move out the way MW3.

This game seriously looks gorgeous.

@Hi iTs SlayeR And yet MW3 will shit all over this in sales.. Like it does every year

@ChainSmoker sadly yes. quite the injustice.

@ChainSmoker Sales don't equal better game.

@8bitartist you've never even played either game yet you're going on record as if you have...CoD haters are about as pathetic as they come

@gshauger
I've played all of the ones from 2 to BO and every single one sucks ass compared to the Battlefield series.

Also, I don't get all the hate people seem to have for 2142, I thought Titan mode was just a blast.

@twocows
Hey man, you should pick up the original CoD on Steam or something. Still an excellent game.

@twocows

I hated 2142, but only due to the bugs. I also loved it, due to spectacular gameplay. And while I wish they would make 2143, I guess crying my eyes out in the arms of MW3 won't be the worst thing ever. (If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.)

@twocows
2142 is one of my biggest regrets :/

@gshauger i have the plat in W@W, MW2, BLOPS and BFBC2. its pretty much FACT that MW3 will vastly outsell BF3 because of all the little kids that eat it up. Battlefield is the superior military shooter, but the sales wouldnt show that.

@twocows
:( I never got to play 2142.

@Firelance

Yeah that chick is pretty hot.

@Marshillboy

I agree....wouldn't mind pwnin' that.

I believe this will be the perfect time for me to get back into the series. Also, I can't wait to pilot a jet when playing Cheap Trick's "Mighty Wings."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBKOpFVggr8

Impressive, but I don't own a PC. Still waiting to see how it looks on the consoles. Either way it will still be fun.

@MysticMaven I do own a PC but I know what you mean, I'm kinda scared to see what it looks like on console.

@MysticMaven

I'm considering building a pc when BF3's system requirements come out. As a reference point I suppose.

@Marshillboy

Yummy

Sigh. How do I convince the wifey that the pc I built 3 years ago needs to be replaced? I am hungry for a new gaming rig.

@Sylvrfonic No new PC = no sexy time.

@Martyrdom

That only works for the one with the vagina.

@BaronVonSachsen - Beating her at tennis seems like a surefire way to get her permission.

@Apakal

haha so tru

@Sylvrfonic You just grow a pair and do it.

Looks great! FINALLY a game to look forward to!

@Firelance

Dude, I just bought this shirt.

If you had put everyone they interviewed in a line-up, I could have told you exactly which one was the sound designer.

I hope there is no dolphin diving because that was annoying.

Lets just hope all the CoD kiddies stay the eff away so I can actually play a tactical squad shooter with a squad that gives half a crap about tactics.

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my

Or even worse... they'll camp at the spawn point to get access to all of the vehicles.

@Apakal Solution: play the game on the pc where people actually communicate.

@Apakal I don't know if me and you played the same BF 2142, 2, 1942, Vietnam, but battlefield is FAR from a tactical shooter. And people never communicated on these WAY before CoD was "the thing".

I am still confused about why everyone tries to pass PC gamers off as some elite group of tactical elite armchair general snobs. They are just as bad as the few people I've played with in my stints on consoles.

@Robborboy This is true but the difference is that on the pc, once you find a server with good team players on it, you can rejoin that server as often as you like. On a console, you have to find groups of people that play together, friend them, and schedule good times for you to play together.

@gonintendo Or, you know, play how I always do be it on PC or console. Find a random game to join. Which in my opinion is much better than playing with the same group over and over. People tend to be predictable, especially on BF2. If you play with them for any amount of time you quickly learn their preferred class, areas on a map, etc.

Compound this with the fact that the servers that usually have the same people playing are locked to a single map and lack any rotation whatsoever, it becomes boring quite quickly.

That was a pretty informative vid! I love playing bf! I had bfbc on the 360 and got bfbc2 on pc. :] Can't wait to get my bf3 beta since I bought MoH (which was a great game in itself)! Bring on BF3!!!! :]

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my

I have a really really REALLY hard time giving any FPS a GoTY nod anymore.

From what I've seen so far BF3 does look really impressive, and the extra distance they went with all the subtle refinements definitely set it a notch above, but its kind of like a Honda Civic. No matter how much money you dump into it, its always going to be a Honda Civic.

EA PWNED my pants again with BF3

I don't understand what looks amazing about this game. Its the same brown military shooter as everything else.

@Jovrick Blue sky=/= Brown sky. Don't be purposefully stupid.

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Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 footage, and Back to Karkand comparison, courtesy of EA PWNED

Reader Comments (110)

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:53PM Shadowbender said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:38PM chrono said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:40PM GamingColt said

Posted: May 29th 2011 11:41PM teeftwo said

Posted: May 30th 2011 2:08AM ShivanSwordsman said

Posted: May 30th 2011 4:24AM The Aquacharger said

Posted: May 30th 2011 6:28AM carbonize said

Posted: May 30th 2011 7:18AM superchamois said

Posted: May 30th 2011 5:16PM ShivanSwordsman said

Posted: May 30th 2011 9:45PM Crayola Q Pants ESQ said

Posted: May 31st 2011 9:30AM Klearwater Killer said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:38PM Hi iTs SlayeR said

Posted: May 29th 2011 10:39PM ChainSmoker said

Posted: May 29th 2011 11:08PM 8bitartist said

Posted: May 29th 2011 11:58PM INTRO said

Posted: May 30th 2011 1:43AM gshauger said

Posted: May 30th 2011 2:03AM twocows said

Posted: May 30th 2011 2:58AM Haggard said

Posted: May 30th 2011 4:22AM Ruinkind said

Posted: May 30th 2011 3:17PM acme64 said

Posted: May 30th 2011 3:19PM 8bitartist said

Posted: May 30th 2011 5:09PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:44PM Marshillboy said

Posted: May 30th 2011 4:04PM RagingStormX said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:48PM Obelix the Gaul said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:50PM MysticMaven said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:02PM BaronVonSachsen said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:39PM Cryo said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:52PM Morisato13 said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:54PM Sylvrfonic said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:03PM Martyrdom said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:06PM Apakal said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:44PM BananaBoat said

Posted: May 30th 2011 12:02AM omgwtf said

Posted: May 30th 2011 2:16AM MrGreen said

Posted: May 29th 2011 8:56PM aea0a095 said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:02PM Mister Darcy said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:02PM gangcar said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:03PM soorma said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:07PM Apakal said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:47PM NoodleGunshot said

Posted: May 29th 2011 10:37PM gonintendo said

Posted: May 29th 2011 11:49PM Robborboy said

Posted: May 30th 2011 2:00AM gonintendo said

Posted: May 30th 2011 9:59AM Robborboy said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:13PM Accessgranted said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:17PM Apakal said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:22PM The Cole Train said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:23PM Jovrick said

Posted: May 29th 2011 9:26PM TheDarkWayne said

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